As car enthusiasts, we tend to be the harshest critics of automobile manufacturers. We expect them to make vehicles that appeal to our performance and handling desires, and sadly, the current track record reveals plenty of examples of vehicles that giant OEMs eventually decide to build and no one ever buys in sufficient numbers. The reality of the situation shows that wholly average vehicles are the ones that save companies from the financial brink, which is why cars like this clean 1978 Ford Fairmont listed here on eBay were such a gamechanger for the industry.
The Fairmont was built on the Fox platform, the one we so often associate with the Mustang. The fact that the heralded muscle car platform came from such humble beginnings is often forgotten by most enthusiasts, but that’s the ebb and flow of the industry. Ford wasn’t in great financial shape when the Fairmont came out, and it needed a home run. The thing is, home runs don’t often some with sports and performance models: they arrive with a bread-and-butter sedan that loads of people buy to park in suburban driveways and to take their kids to school.
Similar to Chrysler’s K-Car, stuffing money back into the coffers came in the form of a six-cylinder sedan that didn’t drive like much of anything. It simply got people from point A to point B. When the K-Car arrived and helped Chrysler rebound from bankruptcy, it was a simple, front-wheel-drive and fuel efficient model lineup that did it – not a slick handling coupe with blistering acceleration. The Fairmont did get a sporty touch when the Futura was introduced, a two-door model with touches reminiscent of the iconic Thunderbird.
This Fairmont is a recent donation vehicle that appears to be in outstanding condition. It doesn’t run, but the seller also doesn’t do much more than the basics to assess mechanical integrity after it arrives on the lot. The good news is these were generally reliable cars so getting the 200 CID inline-six to fire up again shouldn’t prove too taxing, even if having those 86 horses back in action won’t prove too exciting. The Fairmont was a sales success for Ford, proving that no all heroes wear capes, or have spoilers with eye-catching ground effects. Bidding sits at $500 with no reserve.
You know, it’s kind of funny how certain people are born with such wisdom, they can take a mundane car EXACTLY like this, and turn it into one of the most successful drag racing cars of all time. Once again, I speak of the unbelievably late great Bob Glidden, that had unbeatable winning streak with his 1978 Fairmont. He had an astonishing 32-0 win record in 1978, never lost a round,,even the “Professor” or the “Grump” couldn’t top that.
Whether that had anything to do with the sale of this particular car is a stretch. This was for the person who knew nothing about cars, but needed one on a rare occasion. It usually came down to cost, and at about $3600, it was one of the cheapest US cars made. Municipalities used these too, and suspect that was the history here, just never used. You want a basic car, no info screen, and a motor that actually looks like one, here you go. They will never be like this again.
True. These were often driven by lesser functionaries, like the guy from the water department who would drive around town to read water meters, or the mail carrier on a rural delivery route. Cops got mid-size or full size cars, ditto the fire chief, but folks on the lower rungs of the Government payroll got something like this. Boring, three-box cars that were basic transportation, but kept the wheels of Government turning.
I like the simple, clean styling of these compared to the fancier, more baroque styling of its predecessors, the Granada/Zephyr/Versailles triplets. This one has a clean simple interior in good shape and the bland color could make for the ultimate sleeper, if the 200 cubic-inch I6 gets swapped out for a 302/5.0L or larger V8. Again, upgrades to the brakes and suspension can come from the Mustang parts catalog, and a set of factory bucket seats is always an option, if you can find them, or a set of aftermarket seats, such as Recaros is also an option. If the color isn’t to your liking, a respray at your local Earl Scheib or Macco body shop will work, as the body appears rust free and straight. GLWTS!
I’m right with you Robert, but would keep the bench seat and bland paint. And while swapping in the 8 find one with a 4/5 spd behind it. Of course necessary braking and suspension upgrades would be included.
Yeah, just keep it simple.
Beautifully basic. 😎
If you’ve ever wanted a vanilla car….
Even a Lutheran minister from Ft. Wayne would pass this one by.
Man , I would buy this and park it in my garage next to my W212 E63 AMG just because it’s cool. I find cars like this infinitely more interesting than yet another ’69 Camaro or Chevelle. Guess which one will get more attention at a car show, lol!
Excellent write-up Jeff. While we all bask in the hi-po or fancy models, it is the bread-and-butter models which pay the bills. And similar to yesterday’s white Falcon, this is a very basic Fairmont– it doesn’t even have a radio. I’m kind of surprised it has an automatic transmission.
Would I rather have a well-equipped Futura? Sure, but this one does have its charms.
Well, it USED to be the bread and butter vehicles that paid the bills. The manufacturers refuse to make those cars anymore and instead force everyone into fully loaded SUVs. And the public buys them because they don’t have much choice.
Truth…
Yet.
I will take that white 60 Falcon with 170 and 3 on the tree posted here a couple days ago. At least it has style. This looks like a telephone booth going down the road!
Nice blank slate to make some changes to fit your wants and needs. For me, two more doors and a radio would do me fine. Two door cars are just too expensive to keep here in Florida
because of the huge premium
surcharges that insurance companies slap on them. The last 2-door I bought in 1987 was
a ’77 Mustang 🐎 II that cost me
over $850 a month just for basic
coverage! My wife had no DUIs or tickets of any kind whatsoever.
Argue or complain about it, you
paid $200 more. That’s how they
screwed you over back then. Wasn’t til 1991 that Bob Maritnez
put a stop to price gouging on car
insurance here. Another car from
California I see. Owners are dumping them as fast as possible to keep Gavin Newsome
and his goons from confiscating
their cars WITHOUT A WARANT
to enforce a classic car ban that
he signed into Iaw a few months
back. It makes it a crime to own
or possess a classic car in the state of California. Dunno what
penalties are but if I were living there, I’d be getting outta there
BEFORE they pass an exit tax.
My advice: move to Florida and
bring your classic cars with you.
We wanna see what kind of rides
you have. And yes Howard, I do
remember these cars and how
easy it was to make them go fast.
Just where did you come up with that about California/Newsom?
Sounds like someone’s seeing what some people will believe as fact.
Fairmonts were good reliable transportation that did there job well.
Built on the same basic platform as the Mustang of that era,so you could
adapt almost anything that would work on a Mustang to a Fairmont.
That bad thing was that with the 200 6 cylinder,the manifold was built into the head,so you could only use a 1 barrel carb,unless you had custom
machining done.Australia had one with a separate 2 barrel maninfold.
Angliagt, it sure is amazing how dumb people are to believe everything they hear.
California is passing “Leno’s Law”, which expands which old cars would be exempt from smog testing. Currently cars ’76 and older are exempt, but the new law expands that up to 1981 and older. I can’t think of a state more enmeshed in the classic car culture than California, so the notion that anyone would ban them there is idiocy, just as believing such a thing is idiocy.
Also, Hagerty insures my 4 old cars for under $800 PER YEAR. Forrest Gump’s Mama said it best: “Stupid is as stupid does”.
Rex Kahrs, “Leno’s” law came close last year, but died in committee. It may very well do so again and again and again until the end of time. Until it’s actually signed into law I wouldn’t get my hopes up.
Steve R
Ditto for the 170 and 250 I6, the truck 260 and 300 I6 motors had bolt-on intake manifolds. My Mom’s 1972 Maverick had the 250 I6, with the intake manifold cast into the head. Of course the V8’s don’t have that problem, LOL!
Some people will believe anything their fed if it fits their mindset. Newsom is doing no such thing. Enough with spreading such nonsense.
Ken Carney, I live in the Bay Area, the amount of disrespect I have for Newsom is hard to measure. However, criticism of him and his policies need to be accurate otherwise any worthy criticism will be dismissed out of hand by his supporters. There has been no legislation like you describe that has been passed by the state, no one is coming to confiscate older cars. If you know of a specific piece of legislation or executive order cite specifics so can see it for ourselves.
Steve R
According to Google: As of May 2026, there is no blanket ban on driving classic cars in California, though strict emission rules remain. A proposed 2025 bill, “Leno’s Law” (SB 712), aimed to exempt 1981 and older cars from smog checks but was killed in committee. Similar advocacy continues, with new proposals focused on easing restrictions for specific collector-insured vehicles.Key Updates on California Classic Cars (2026):No “Classic Car Ban”: Despite rumors, there is no law banning the ownership or operation of older gasoline vehicles. The 2035 zero-emission goal applies to new car sales, not used, older vehicles.Leno’s Law 2.0 (SB 1392): Following the failure of the 2025 bill, a new attempt (SB 1392) was introduced in early 2026 to update smog exemption laws for classic cars, often referred to as “Leno’s Law 2.0”.Current Smog Requirements: Currently, vehicle
I would never move to florida the gunshine state. Carl hiassen does not have to any invent any crazy characters for his books.They are already there.
Did the fairmont get nicer with age?
NO !
This is the kind of car America needs today…. simple basic transportation. But the manufacturers no longer turn to such cars when they need a home run. Instead they force everyone into loaded down SUVs that nobody really wants, but they buy them because there are no options.
This Fairmont will hopefully find a home where it will get the refreshing it needs. The interior is pretty dirty, but as long as someone can get the engine running, cleaning it up shouldn’t be too hard.
A can of upholstery cleaner, a bucket of water and a scrub brush will do wonders for that fabric. Hit the carpet with a can of rug cleaner, then finish everything off with a can of Scotchguard fabric protector, open the windows, and let everything air dry. You’ll be amazed at how well it turns out!
This one looks like it was originally built to Army specs. There’s nothing there that doesn’t need to be. It has an automatic transmission, so maybe Air Force specs. GLWTS.
That’s the top of the line first year Fairmont interior, with the municipal fleet spec hubcaps. A reminder of how cars used to come a la carte.
These cars take well to performance upgrades late model 5.0 motors along with 5 speed transmissions. Also suspension upgrades from Mustangs i have seen a few over the years that really transformed these and the Futura into really sharp looking cars with performance to back it up.
Oddly enough, I remember back when the San Diego PD used some Fairmont 4-doors as urban cruisers. Also popular for cop cars were the Chevy Novas and Dodge Aspens. They just weren’t big enough to carry all the cop gear, plus detainees, though.
Sold for $1,301 on 5/11/2026, there were 33 bids from 16 bidders. Too bad the love didn’t translate into $$$$.
Steve R
Thanks for setting me straight guys. There’s been a lot of talk on Google news and YouTube that says Newsom plans to confiscate classic vehicles without the owner’s permission.
They”ve been talking about it since ’24 that I know of. Even some of the LA TV stations were
talking about it in ’25. Even Michael Savage, the host of the
Savage Nation radio talk show was riled up about it as he has a
small fleet of vintage Cadillacs that he drives around San Francisco. And from what I can
remember, he was so pissed off
about it that he went after Mr.
Newsom on the air and calling him out for signing such a terrible
piece of legislation. I can’t say what he called him here, but he was cussing a blue streak when he said it. Haven’t listened to him
for awhile, but he’s better than
Google News. You can find him
at Savagenation.com.
Nobody comes close to Dr.Savage in terms of depth of knowledge.Been listening to him since early 2000’s.What an education,opened my eyes !
Nothing that California does, when it comes to vehicles, surprises me. As a nation, we can “thank” them for all the regulations that strangled American engines in the 70’s and beyond. And we constantly hear about the state wanting to ban gas and diesel vehicles from being sold there. “Car crazy California” has taken on a different meaning, in the last couple of decades.
Well, I’m old enough to remember that any walk in an urban setting resulted in burning eyes, and in some cases worse from all the pollution… Ya, the early, crude emissions technology left a lot to be desired… especially in the performance area… however, I think most of us enjoyed the cleaner air that resulted.
True, and you can always take an old motor and retrofit modern electronic engine controls that not only make the car run better, but also reduce emissions even more than the original factory anti-smog gear could ever hope to do! Holley makes two-barrel and one-barrel TBI EFI systems that bolt-on in place of the stock carburetor. The one-barrel unit is aimed squarely at Fords with engines like this one, to put in six-cylinder Mustangs! Here’s a link:
https://www.holley.com/products/fuel_systems/fuel_injection/sniper_efi/sniper_efi/sniper_efi_autolite_1100_1-barrel/parts/550-552
Unless this car sold to someone that was going to use it as an actual point A to point B transportation? That 6 banger will be in the boneyard, faster than a 2012 Kia.
And yes Rex, insurance companies in Polk County Florida
did indeed charge that much to insure a 2-door vehicle in the late
1980s. The criteria they used was really stupid by Illinois standards, but here it is nonetheless.
1. Body color: If a car is painted
red, yellow, or other bright colors,
it is believed by insurance companies that the vehicle will be more likely to be involved in an
accident more so than a dark colored car.
2. Number of doors. The insurance industry here classifies
any vehicle with only 2 doors as a
sports car, which allows them to
charge the owner twice the rate
that an owner of a 4-door sedan
would pay.
3. Wheels and tires: Any deviation from factory stock issued tires or rims will be grounds for a rate increase as such items are classified as high
performance items and therefore
used to calculate your monthly
premium. At least that’s how it was in Polk County Florida in 1987.
The folks in Polk County are still waiting for their gold phones.
I drove a 4dr just like this in high school. They actually had a police version with a 302. Never knew it was on the Mustang chassis.
Saw a good sticker the other day and it said ” NOT A DEMOCRAT OR A REPUBLICAN I AM AN AMERICAN AND I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK! ”
This is exactly how I feel.
I bought a 1978 Fairmont in ’82 off the back lot at a local car lot, 4 cylinder, 4 speed, radio laying in the floor…I swear it was built by Reavill, the people who make scale model car kits? Everything was snap fit and fell apart just as quick. Rolling down a four lane and noticed one of the tail light assemblies had fallen off and was hanging by the wiring, used covers off match books to shim plastic parts so they wouldn’t squeak when we were driving…wonder why Datsun’s and Toyotas were so popular then? They didn’t fall apart…
It was called the “Malaise Era” for a reason, LOL! The quality issues cost Detroit badly, and was one of the major reasons the Asian automakers became so successful here. Unfortunately, Detroit never really recovered from the poor quality reputation the seventies gave them, and they are still paying the price today, in the form of reduced market share and lower resale values for their products.
I rented one of these right after they came out. The second time I got in it, the pot-metal outside door handle broke off in my hand.
I think I was senior in high school and I took a ride with my Dad to take a look at the “new” Fairmonts that had just showed up at our local Ford dealership. They had a bunch all lined up in various trim levels… And the thing that amazed us, and still to this day sticks out in my mind, is how bad the panel fit and fit/finish was on every one of them. After looking at a few of the samples we just started to laugh… it’s all you could do. What a time that malaise era was.
A neighbor bought one used,ca 1991.
Four cylinder,four speed,four door with factory/dealer pop up sun roof.
We called it the Ford 4-4-4.
Another vote for a wonderful, simple blank canvas of a vehicle. If I had a teenage son, I’d grab this for an educational tool and to inject the love of all things Ford into his system.
Oh, and thanks to the author for the proper “Fox platform” description. Some here know my disdain for the common “Fox body” moniker. Those who are less than Ford purists like to throw that term around as it rolls off the tongue. Those who understand the brand, however, know that Ford never called it that.
Rock on!
Brought $1301. Great deal for somebody. The cost of getting it to Ky would be a deal breaker for me.
Brought $1301. Great deal for somebody. The cost of getting it to Ky would be a deal breaker for me.
Just as a reminder. The 200 6 cyl. cross member/sub frame is unique to the Fox body vehicles. Where all other engines used the same cross member/subframe. So in order to do the 302 swap. You first have to go to pick-n-pull to get a cross member/front subframe. No real issue as it just unbolts.
Put a 302 in it and leave the rest alone and it would be a cool sleeper here.
SOLD for $1300
“. The fact that the heralded muscle car platform came from such humble beginnings is often forgotten by most enthusiasts, but that’s the ebb and flow of the industry” IIRC The first edition Mustangs were Falcons underneath. That setup (sometimes massaged by Ford) continued on through the 1971 Torino/Falcon/Fairlane (and its Mercury siblings) Just like the PT Cruiser was an Omnirizon underneath. (In that case it was 40 lbs of #### in a 10 pound bag!) Just because it “LOOKS NEW AND DIFFERENT” That many times is not true. Manufacturers are very adept at showing new and really giving us the same old thing. Not new sheep, just new clothing for the wolf!
Well granny wasn’t too basic, she ordered factory a/c and she didn’t need a radio to distract her. I think with the attention span of a good number of today’s drivers this is all they should be driving. I hope whoever bought it does some mild updates and keeps it like it is. I do also find it amazing that in almost 50 years nobody put a radio in it.
True, but that makes retrofitting a radio yourself much easier. Back in the day, when we were starving college students that drove beaters, the first thing we would do was rip out the factory AM radio and fit a Pioneer AM/FM with a cassette deck into our latest purchase, LOL! That blank off plate will pop right out, and a modern stereo will bolt right in! The door sheet metal and package shelf already have holes in the sheet metal for stereo radio speakers, so cutting new holes for a set of speakers in the masonite panels that cover the holes is child’s play with a jigsaw. Important tip. It’s easier to mark the holes in the package shelf with a Sharpie marker from inside the trunk, then remove the panel by taking out the back seat, rather than trying to cut the holes with the panel in place, as sometimes, the angle of the back glass won’t allow you to get a jigsaw in place to make the cuts. Don’t ask me how I know this, LOL! There are special marking pads you can use to mark the hole locations in the door cards from behind. They are used by drywall installers to mark the location for cutting holes in drywall for outlet and junction boxes. I saw them on This Old House, and I wish we had something like that when installing speakers in the doors back in the day!
Thanks for the high-speed trip down Memory Lane, Robert. I know that song quite well. Even added an amp so everyone could hear it better! Rock on!!
Beats walking !
Once again a plain Jane car that gathers a lot more comments than most fancier vehicles. A lot of people remember that they were intended to be basic, economical transportation and were car manufacturers bread and butter products. The sold price was about as cheap as they come. Good luck with the project.
We had one for our driver’s Ed car. It had a second brake for the teacher. In our case we had a substitute teacher who was hot. That made up for that slow as hell dog you had to floor to climb any hill. The radio didn’t work until I punched the preset buttons and it turned on…The Ford Tempo I rented once had even less power but at least had ok mileage. I wouldn’t have bought any of them…
1960 Falcon 101
I remember when Car&Driver reviewed these. (around 1978) In the article, they were touting an ESS (European Sports Sedan) trim package which made it look rather attractive. If anybody’s gonna tweak one of these, that spec might make it look more the part.
You got that right Rex, folks in Polk County are still waiting for smart phones! The only really good thing they have there is their sheriff Grady Judd and his
Morning Briefing program on You
Tube. Talk about America’s Dumbest criminals! They got ’em
over there by the boatload. Gives me a laugh every morning hearing about the stupid things
that some folks do. I met Sheriff
Judd when I went to a county
commission meeting in 2007 to
advocate for some disabled people who needed county assistance to make their lives better. He showed me how to read an agenda form so that I could help them more easily. I gotta say that they ARE getting a bit smarter over there since my
family and I moved to Melbourne
in ’23. My other SIL has one of those fancy Alpha Romeo SUVs
and ACTUALLY FOUND A PLACE
THAT COULD REPAIR IT! Not bad
for a pack of ignorant hillbillies.
I owned one after I started a family and sold my 71 challenger rag top.
Mine had a 4 speed manual and was actually a great family car!
Wish I had them both for different reasons!